Going West
by DemigodfromMirkwood
Summary: Hi! This is my first story and it's on Lord of the Rings set in Mirkwood after the defeat of Sauron and after Legolas and Gimli have left Middle Earth. The main character is Thranduil as he struggles to maintain authority as orcs and spiders slowly begin to conquer the elves of Mirkwood with a little bit of help from has a good ending though! Promise!
1. This is Only the Beginning(literally)

King Thranduil sighed as he listened to his scouts report that a patrol of wounded Mirkwood elves were coming. that's just what he needed, more problems for his already troubled kingdom. Ever since the orcs had came, more elves had been dying from wounds than from fading. most of the ones who were still alive were preparing to sail for the Grey Havens. Thranduil worried if he was a good king. When he was little, he had wanted to be just like his father, but Thranduil knew his father would have never let the spiders and orcs to be like this. Spiders had always plagued Mirkwood, but orcs had never been brave enough to challenge or even enter Mirkwood, until now. Did they doubt Thranduil's authority?! If his father was here, he would fix everything. But his Ada had died in the Battle of Dagorlad.

"The Battle of Dagorlad," thoght Thranduil out loud. That brought back so many memories of the War of the Last Alliance. That day was full of death. A third of the Mirkwood army had returned. Two-thirds had died. Two thirds that included his father who had never returned to the green forest he loved. Now, the forest was filled with the darkness of Sauron from which these spiders had come from. Even though Sauron had been defeated, his remaining army had sought out refuge in Mirkwood. It was all Thranduil could do to keep his borders safe, even though his goal was to take back the whole forest, so he could restore his land to what it had been before The Battle.

As Thranduil returned back to reality, he heard the captain of that patrol walk into his throne room followed by many wounded, tired elves. Thranduil wanted to cry out at their many wounds, but managed to restrain himself. "Tauriel, what were you thhinking? You know I've told you to never take on anything you couldn't handle. We can't afford to lose anymore elves!"

"My lord," she began,"we were falsely led into an ambush where-"

"Never mind that. Report to me after you have taken your patrol to the Chambers of Healing."

"As you wish my lord," Tauriel replied as she bowed to Thranduil.

The rest of the patrol walked out of the room led by two healers that had come into the throne room as soon as they heard about the patrol.

"Wait, Tauriel," Thranduil commanded as the throne room doors were shut leaving them alone.

My lor-" she began, but never got the chance to finish.

"How many?" Thranduil almost whispered.

"Fifteen. Eight fell trying to stop the orcs. Seven were wounded and didn't survive long enough to get here." She said feeling reponsible for their deaths becuase she had led them into an ambush.

"Go. Return tomorrow at the break of dawn after you have visited the Chambers of Healing. I do not wish for anymore to die, today."


	2. Visits in the Night

Thranduil was in deep thought. He had much to think about as he sat at his desk studying a map that took up much of the desk. The sun had long set and he was still here. He reached across the desk, picked up a red pin, and poked it into a spot that was very close to his castle.

"The orcs are becoming braver in there attacks on Mirkwood," Thranuil murmured.

"Indeed Thranduil," answered a voice coming from someone who was standing in the shadows by the door.

Thranduil almost jumped out of his chair. How in the world did this mysterious person get in? Even his elven-enhanced ears couldn't hear anything.

"Show yourself," Thranduil commanded

"It is I, Gandalf the White!"

Thranduil gasped in horror,"What?!"

Everyone knew that seeing Gandalf was an ill omen. Whenever Gandalf showed up, some sort of huge war started, and this time, Thranduil did not want to be involved.

"Gandalf, you are not welcome here," Thranduil said with caution. Wizards could be very dangerous when angry.

"I'm here to help, like always. You know you need it."

Thranduil considered his options carefully. If he let the wizard stay, then there would inevitably be war. If he kicked the wizard out, then his whole kingdom woul-.

"My lord," said a panting messenger,"There is a huge host of orcs who are on there way to attack a city 50 miles north from here. The city requests some reinforcement troops from the palace."

Gandalf answered the messenger with," We'll be there as soon as we can. Won't we, Thranduil."

The way that Gandalf said that last comment was more of a command then a question. Well, Thranduil would let this go. Just this once. Thranduil was planning on going anyway because these orcs were a direct threat to Mirkwood.

The messenger turned towards Thranduil as conformation for what Gandalf had just said. Thranduil made a slight nod, and the messenger disappeared around the corner. Thranduil turned to the huge window in his study that overlooked the courtyard of the palace. He watched the messenger swing up onto a horse and gallop away to deliver the message to the city that was about to be the location of the start of the next Great War.

"What are you waiting for? Make the preparations and prepare to fight!" Gandalf exclaimed as Thranduil turned from the window and exited the study.


	3. Preparations

" I'm coming," said an over eager Tauriel.

"No your not," said Thranduil as soon as he left his study.

" You might as well let me because, you know I'll be there anyway."

Thranduil let out a big sigh. He knew she was right. Tauriel loved to fight as long as it was for a good cause no matter how big or far away it was.

"Fine," Thranduil said exasperated. He was not going to stand here all night and argue with her. "Ready the army and then report back to me. We leave at first light."

Tauriel just dipped her head and ran through the the halls. Thranduil suddenly realized that she didn't take him to seriously anymore. What is the world coming to, when your own captain runs through the halls of your castle smiling?

Thranduil began walking to the stables to prepare his elk. Well, technically, his elk had died in the Battle of the Lonely Mountain. This was Legolas's elk, or it would have been if he had stayed in Middle Earth. But instead he had left with a dwarf, and had not returned since the destruction of the ring. What kind of elf, not to mention the heir to the Mirkwood throne, would travel with a dwarf?!

As Thranduil readied the elk for the battle tomorrow, the elk stamped its hooves a few times impatiently as a proud horse was dragged into the room. An exhausted elf made a slight bow to Thranduil while still trying to hold the horse which did not go well. The horse felt the rope around its neck slacken as the elf bowed and used all its might to try and break free. Thranduil jumped out of the way as the elf flew across the room and landed in a stack of hay barely holding onto the reins. Thranduil immediately grabbed the reins from the elf who looked pretty dazed. The elf managed to say," Shadowfax," just before he drifted into unconsciousness. "Great," Thranduil said. This horse was Gandalf's horse, the wildest horse that not even elves could control. Thranduil carefully led Shadowfax to an empty stable which did not please the horse at all. Thranduil returned to the elf and had another elf take him to the Chambers of Healing. Thranduil's elk was all ready to go a few minutes later and Thranduil walked with his elk to the gates of his castle where many elves had already gathered. The preparations were complete and it was time to go.


End file.
